A Norfolk council has promised to meet up with locals in a 'bottleneck village' to discuss their traffic woes.

People living in Coltishall say their once quiet riverside community is becoming increasingly overrun by huge numbers of cars and lorries travelling between Norwich and a large area of north Norfolk.

They say the opening of the NDR and the fact that they have one of the few crossings over the Upper Bure mean that a growing volume of traffic is being funnelled through the village. And they fear that plans to build more homes in north Norfolk will worsen the problems.

Now, North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) has promised to meet up with villagers to discuss the impact a 1,800-home development in North Walsham.

Jo Copplestone, the village's councillor at the neighbouring Broadland authority, addressed a recent meeting of NNDC’s cabinet to raise concerns about the development.

Eastern Daily Press: Jo Coppleston, Broadland councillor for ColtishallJo Coppleston, Broadland councillor for Coltishall (Image: Broadland District Council)

The scheme has been included in NNDC's local plan, which governs where homes should go by 2036.

She criticised NNDC for not releasing a transport assessment, despite repeated requests, and accused the authority of having "fundamental problems" with cross-border communication.

Mr Copplestone also argued the current proposed mitigation measures for the village - removing some parking spaces and adding in a new right turn lane next to the garage on the High Street - were "woefully inadequate".

“I feel that every time we try and approach you we just don’t seem to get anywhere," she said.

"We really need to see the assessment, we really need some transparency, because the people of Coltishall are very concerned.

“The road is overwhelmed with traffic at the moment and the problem will be exacerbated if your development is allowed to go ahead.” 

Eastern Daily Press: Traffic backed up on the bridge (Image: Paul Thomas)Traffic backed up on the bridge (Image: Paul Thomas) (Image: Paul Thomas)

No promises were made on releasing the assessment, but NNDC leaders reiterated the promise of a consultation in Coltishall.

Paul Heinrich, chairman of the development committee, said he does “share some concerns” with Ms Copplestone.

He added: “We have agreed that officers will meet with the representatives of the highway action group of Coltishall.”